Spurs calendar year one of the best in NBA history

While it might have cratered with their collapse against Oklahoma City in last season’s Western Conference Finals, the Spurs’ 2012 calendar year was one of the most successful in NBA history.

They went 72-23 in that span, second only to the 1996 Chicago team that went 74-11. A caveat — taking advantage of the strike-condensed season, the Spurs also played roughly 10 more games than the rest of the teams on the list, including the 1966 Philadelphia 76ers (69-15) and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (69-16).